Ana Gasteyer’s Bathroom Makeover!

I’ve mentioned this vaguely a couple of times on Instagram and Twitter, but I’ve been doing some design work for a pretty awesome client—the super-duper-multi-talented Ana Gasteyer! Ana’s pretty amazing: she was on SNL for six seasons, has been in a bazillion TV shows and movies (most recently Suburgatory), played Elphaba in Wicked both in Chicago and on Broadway (along with a bunch of other theater work)…she’s exceptionally cool. Aside from that, Ana is totally fun and funny and laid-back and has great taste and is just an all-around pleasure to work and play with. This job has been so much fun.

I met Ana initially through Grace about a year and a half ago, and since then we’ve pretty much been working our way through overhauling her whole apartment. We started in the master bedroom and bathroom, and have since moved on to the living room and dining room (kitchen, I’m looking at you next!). There are still some loose ends to be tied up (as these things go…) in the more major areas, but they should be share-ready soon. But today: the bathroom! It is done! It is glam!

Here are some before shots of the bathroom, just to get an idea of where we started. Ana and her husband, Charlie, and their two kids live in an old warehouse building in Brooklyn, which was completely rehabbed about 15 years and turned into a bunch of really great loft apartments. While certain things about the renovation are really nice—like the marble basket-weave floors, the sinks, the tub, and the plumbing fixtures—the builders sort of skimped-out on other stuff. All of the walls were totally naked (aside from the cow triptych courtesy of IKEA), the light fixtures were all contractor-grade and totally sad, and despite being a master bathroom, it had almost no permanent storage—just two small medicine cabinets on either side of the sink and that glass shelf underneath the mirror. Not cool, builders. The bathroom is also situated in the middle of the apartment, meaning it has no windows or natural light, which also contributed to it feeling a little cramped and not as nice as it could be (also, disclaimer: hard to photograph). So basically the bathroom had these really nice elements but desperately needed more storage and a big shot of style. So in I came with my storage ideas and style.

Ana really wanted the bathroom to feel glam and a little glitzy and fun, so we tried to go a little over-the-top with some design elements while still keeping it grown-up and pretty. Aside from more storage overall, Ana also desperately wanted a vanity where she could sit and do her makeup, which was a tall order! This bathroom really isn’t very large—definitely no space for a normal piece of furniture—so it required some creative thinking to get from Point A to Point B.

Anddddd, here it is!

OK, so obviously I just have to just skip all the details and lead with this: DAT WALLPAPER!!! It is amazing, no? It’s from the new Rifle Paper Company collection from Hygge & West, designed by Anna Bond, and it is absolutely scrumptious. Going super dark and dramatic with paint is always a tough sell, but wallpaper takes it up about 20 notches since it’s definitely not something you want to get wrong. I’m so glad Ana loved this pattern as much as I did, though, and gave me the go-ahead to have it installed here. The pattern is screen-printed and has an amazing hand-painted feel to it, and I love how glamorous and luxe it feels while also having a super fun vintage vibe. The gold in the pattern is just perfection in real life, which has been my experience with all Hygge & West papers with metallics: never too much, always just enough. Just how I like it. OOMPH. I love it. Ana loves it. Everyone loves it. It’s that good.

Believe it or not, the black really does make the whole room feel SO much bigger and more expansive—it’s sort of unbelievable. Dark colors work so well in spaces without a lot of natural light, whereas whites and other light colors can often feel really flat and lifeless. It adds so much dimension to the room.

The wallpaper was installed by Sarah Merenda, who is fabulously talented (both as an installer and an artist!) and amazing to work with. We were a little concerned about how wallpaper would fair in a bathroom, but Sarah assured us that using a good wallpaper primer and a strong paste would keep it adhered to the walls, particularly if everything was allowed to set for a couple of weeks before being exposed to steam or moisture. Ideally you’d also have a fan to vent the moisture—unfortunately this bathroom doesn’t have one, but Sarah said it should still be OK as long as the glue had a couple weeks to harden up.

OK, I’ll stop gabbing about the wallpaper now. Other stuff! To add some more architectural interest to the space without spending a ton of cash, we opted to put up a chair rail and this paneling detail on the lower half of the walls, all with stock pieces of molding from Lowe’s.

The chair rail is actually three different pieces that I put together, and then our fabulous painter/carpenter, Ryan, installed everything all fancy-like. He did such a great job! The lower half of the walls and the chair rail are painted All White by Farrow & Ball, which is delicious quality paint. It’s so pretty.

To address the storage and vanity issue, the only way to really go was custom. I designed this piece (and then had it fabricated by a cabinet builder) to be about as big as it could be without totally overwhelming the space or blocking something important like the shower door or the toilet, since Ana and Charlie will probably need to use that stuff. Even though it’s much bigger than the little dresser that was there before, the shallower depth actually makes it feel less intrusive while still providing a ton more storage space. Success!

Also, vanity! Since there wasn’t room for a ton of storage and a vanity, I made the middle section of the built-in a drop-down desk and picked up an adjustable DALFRED stool at IKEA that Ana can move to the front of the vanity when it’s in use. There’s a mirror mounted to the back of this section and a cut-out for an electrical outlet, so it’s super functional and fits all of her lady potions and tools. Success!

One of my favorite improvements to the space was framing out the existing mirror. This was done by our carpenter (and inspired by the molding in my house!), and it makes the mirror look so much more finished. It just conceals the frosted border (which you can kind of see in the first before pic), which we all thought looked a little dated and out of place, and I think it ties in really nicely with the molding work and with the custom cabinet now. Success!

I also love the light fixtures! We went from the blandest of the bland to the glam-est of the glam, basically. The two boring flushmount fixtures over the sink got replaced with these reasonably-priced flush-mount crystal chandeliers from Overstock, which I love in a weird way? They’re a pretty far cry from my normal taste, and on their own they’re a little…questionable, but I feel like they really work in this room. Glitzy! And I have to say, the crystals really do cast some nice light and subtle patterns onto the walls. Success!

The light over the tub was definitely calling out for a chandelier, so we hooked it up! I found this guy vintage on eBay, and I think it’s so cute! It’s just the right scale for the space. And look what’s at the top there—a pineapple! We bought and installed this light fixture longggg before the wallpaper came into the picture, but I love how they ended up tying together. Success!

Between having a crazy busy career, a husband with a crazy busy career, and two kids, Ana wanted the bathroom to be as easy and low-maintenance as possible. I’ve long been an advocate of the ease of towel hooks as opposed to formality of bars—lest you wondered where I stood on bathroom towel politics—so we removed the original bars (which were sort of oddly located anyway) and installed new hooks. It was a little challenging to find ones that were inexpensive and reasonably matched the existing plumbing fixtures, but I finally found these at Home Depot for the sweet price of $14. Easy towel hanging! Success!

I loved working on this bathroom SO MUCH and I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I know Ana loves it too—which I guess is the important part. I can’t wait to share the other stuff we’ve done! It’s so fun to see all the elements come together in real life after rolling around in your head for so long—as soon as the wallpaper went up, we all kind of went from feeling so-so about things to SUPER HAPPY ABOUT EVERYTHING. True story. Wallpaper = happiness.

Maybe you want to get in on the fabulous new collection from Hygge & West by Rifle Paper Company, too? I want to help you. Hygge & West wants to help you. We all want to help you. But you have to help yourself—go get it with this 20% off discount code! Make yourself feel happy, too.

Wow, a new chapter over here with this unveiling of a design job that’s not for you and Max or his childhood bedroom. Lookin’ good, Daniel. Nice balance of style with custom and cost-conscious choices.

Wow Daniel, you get to design with somebody else money!! And that somebody aint a nobody! The bathroom is beautifull, Ana looks as nice as I thought she was, you have a great talent, it is a sucess!!! Very happy for you!

Ana actually has had that rug for years, so we just put it in the bathroom! I think she bought it from eBay. I love little antique oriental rugs in bathrooms…they can take a beating and it’s fun to see that kind of pattern and texture on a bathroom floor. Ebay is great for little rugs like that!

I am totally jealous! I wish I had this beautiful bathroom with it’s fabulous design. Were you ever considering papering the ceiling? Because of the direction of the pineapples, I see that might have been difficult to do. Maybe it there’s was a coordinating paper with just the flower lattice, it may have worked.

Thank you! I didn’t really consider papering the ceiling…you’re right that it would be a little strange with this pattern, but I also think the room is too small and the ceilings are too low for it to really work here…the wallpaper needs a little breathing room so it doesn’t get too busy and claustrophobic, you know? The paneling on the bottom half of the walls was part of that decision too—I even think wallpapering all of the walls floor to ceiling would have been too much!

I love that sink! I know it was there in the ‘before’, but your upgrades made it really the standout piece that it was meant to be. Before, the vintage style of it in the ‘builder’s box” looked to me like it was mis-placed in time. Now with the wainscoating, and the lighting, it looks like it was meant to be. Framing out the mirror was a good call, too.

I can’t wait to see the rest of this job. Congrats on the jump to “professional” status. If I didn’t live half a continent away (and wasn’t broke LOL), I would SO hire you.

I love it! Makes me want to go home and do something, anything, to my crappy little rental bathroom! And I, too, would hire you in a heartbeat. Note to self: start saving.

But I am surprised that an inside bathroom – which is what I have, too – is not required to have a fan to clear out the moisture. My bathroom gets pretty steamy even with a vent and fan! Is there no ceiling vent at all? The building code actually allows that?

I’m guessing in NYC there are a lot of buildings with no bathroom fans, kitchen fans or other things that are required “everywhere else”. Partly because super old buildings just didn’t have those things (although usually there’s a window, maybe). I just leave the door open to the bathroom all the time but I guess that just dissipates the steam to the rest of my house.

Daniel, you’ve updated 3 bathrooms while in the same time i’ve not finished my one. First step, must make plans to replace water supply lines this year so I can get started on the tile.

You know, I don’t actually know what the current local building code in NYC is surrounding vents in bathrooms. I do think it’s required in most places, but New York can be very weird that way. There’s an A/C vent but no fan/vent for the moisture, but the building was also renovated around 15 years ago, and a lot has even changed since then! So I’m not sure.

The original concept for the cabinet/vanity was to make it a true built-in, but the cabinet maker suggested making it freestanding instead—partially to work with the existing baseboards (more demo = more work = more $)—and partially for the speed of building and ease of install. To be completely honest, I don’t think the cabinet-maker ended up being a great fit for the job for a number of reasons, so while the final product is functional and looks good, it’s kind of the one thing that I think Ana and I would tweak if we could do it all over again.

The door is actually much nicer than you’re thinking…the wood tone is pretty nice, and it’s weighty and substantial and matches all the other doors in the apartment. I considered (and still consider…) painting it, but I often feel like painting flat-panel doors isn’t always an improvement, and attempts to add trim to them usually look sort of silly to me. It’s kind of like the big concrete column in the corner of the room, I think…the goal wasn’t really to disguise what kind of building/renovation this is, but to add pieces and details that would be fun and exciting and complement the existing fixtures. I don’t know if that makes any sense, haha…

Well, I didn’t actually personally do it, but I’m almost positive that the molding that was purchased was made as frame molding, so it was routed out a bit on the back where it had to overlap the mirror so that the outer edges would sit flush with the wall. I believe the carpenter installed it all in place (I’m guessing with some kind of adhesive on the walls and brad nails) and then patched, caulked, and did final paint touch-ups when it was in place. The mirror is HUGE and really heavy, so I think this was the most cost-effective and easy solution. It’s not going anywhere ANY time soon, so there wasn’t a whole lot of sense in making the job more elaborate than it needed to be!

I think your true genius shows in your ability to make a stunningly gorgeous room which is truly the client’s. A lot of designers have rooms which all look alike. As soon as I win the lottery I hope you will transform my life (without, of course, interfering with progress on the Kingston house).

So after loving the wallpaper you put up in your office, I started looking at Hygge & West. Loved their stuff. Then Rifle Paper Co did the collab and I was obsessed with this black pineapple wall paper. THEN you posted about using it in this bathroom and I just nearly died of obsession and joy. So, because of your discount, and because I have very little self control, I bought some. I live in a rental in Manhattan and have absolutely nowhere to put it, unless I wall paper the backs of my black floor to ceiling bookcases, but MY GOD THIS PAPER IS BEAUTIFUL and I just don’t really know how I can be expected to live without it.

If you want to come over and help one of your readers wall paper a bookcase…that would be swell. I have no clue what I am doing.

All of the Hygge & West papers come with instructions on the packaging for the application, and it really isn’t too bad! Especially if you’re working with something flat and even and small-ish, like a bookcase. I bet it will turn out great! You don’t need me. :)

Amazing job, Daniel!!!! We’re all so excited over here to see how it turned out (even more beautiful that we could have imagined). So chic and glam, but still not taking itself too seriously… Perfecto!

This is stunning! When I started reading your blog, I thought you were just a funny guy who gets carried away with his home projects (which always, in the end, turn out fantastically). But you’re a bonafide designer (to the stars, no less!)

Congratulations! It’s beautiful.

I’ve wanted to go dark in one of my bathrooms (also in the middle of my house), but was concerned about the lack of natural light. Any tips/guidelines you can offer about what makes dark (whether wallpaper or paint) work in small spaces with no natural light?

Being a fan of Rifle Paper Company I am excited to hear they now make wallpaper. This bathroom is so beautiful. I especially love how you use fixtures from Overstock and Home Depot and make them look luxe. I can’t wait to see the rest of the place!

I am SUPER DUPER jealous that you spent time with the awesome Ana !!!
Oh and by the way, have I mentioned I would do all sorts of things for some Hygge & West wallpaper?? I have to find an australian stockist ASAP!!!!
The whole bathroom looks AHMAZING!

Gorgeous design work. I am not generally a fan of wallpaper, mostly I think as a legacy of growing up in the 60s and 70s where everything single wall in the house was wallpaper covered, which could be a real assault to the eyes. However, I must say I really like this wallpaper, has a sort of William Morris style to it.

Fabulous work! I’ve seen the dark option in a small bathroom–rich red, black and gold in a tiny, under-the-stairs powder room. Would you consider a tarnished gold leaf on the mirror frame, to tie it back to the wallpaper, still keeping it luxe? Your vanity table solution is perfect. Love your courage and ingenuity–and the telling, thanks.

Actually, yes! If you want to go really dramatic and do the room all-black with the wallpaper as an accent, Benjamin Moore’s Black Berry is the closest match to the black background in the wallpaper. Otherwise, I’d look for one of the other colors in the wallpaper and maybe go a few steps lighter, if you wanted, or just choose a nice neutral white/grey for the other walls. It just depends on what you want!